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Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Atheists in the Priesthood?!?

The Community of Christ wall on Facebook had an interesting debate this week when one church member posted an article about a Dutch church in the Netherlands in which some members of the priesthood were actually atheists. This church member then asked the provocative question to the group if anyone would have a problem with this in our church.

What really got the discussion going was the allegations by Mr. Anti-Government that he personally knows of several church members who are atheists but he refuses to name them. Nor will such people identify themselves. This really caused an uproar and I admit that I am among those who are outraged. In my view, the priesthood is a sacred covenant that goes beyond that of membership. Its a calling and responsible to the church organization. If anyone was an atheist and a member of the priesthood, there's only one decent and ethical response. Turn in your priesthood card. This does not mean you cannot be a member of the church. It simply means that you should not be participating in ordinances that you don't believe in.

The more some church members defended the right of priesthood members to be atheists, the more incensed I got. This is one position I won't back down on because it does not make sense. If a person is an atheist, that means that they do not believe that God exists, that we live in a spiritual world, that we have a soul that will transcend the death of the human body. In my view, there is nothing wrong or immoral or evil about atheism. Its simply a viewpoint held by people who are logically-based and materialist minded (particularly, scientific materialism). These people are generally highly intelligent and require physical evidence before they believe. The problem with atheists holding the priesthood offices, though, is that if you don't believe that God exists or heaven exists, that you believe we will become non-existent when the body dies, WHY WOULD YOU PARTICIPATE IN SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE IS A FRAUD?!? That's what I don't understand. To remain a priesthood member when you're an atheist would make you a hypocrite, a liar, and a fraud. Your credibility would not exist. It simply does not make logical sense, and Mr. Anti-Government who claims to be all about logic was defending their right to remain in the priesthood. He, himself, is an atheist (though raised in the church and once was such an in-your-face rightwing Jesus freak who went around trying to convert people when he was a teenager).

As I tried to explain ad nauseum in the dialogue, how can an atheist priesthood do his or her duties as required by the office if he or she does not believe that God exists? What do priesthood holders do? Well, it depends upon the office. There are teachers, deacons, priests, elders, seventys, evangelists, and apostles (forgive me if I left any other office out). Priests can officiate weddings and baptize people. The problem of atheists in the priesthood really presents itself with the evangelists. In the Community of Christ is an ordinance known as "Evangelist's Blessing." I got mine in 1999. Basically, this is a special prayer (which you get a written copy of) which can give direction to your life (mine was vague on that part, but helpful in other ways). When I decided to get mine, it was the right time. I was nearing the end of my experience at BYU and looking at starting a career in Government in Washington, D.C. I wanted some guidance for my future. I decided to pick a female evangelist just so that I could have proof that women made effective priesthood members as men (it was one of the main arguments I had with Mormons at BYU who tried to convince me that women weren't meant to have the priesthood).

I picked a lady who attended the Salt Lake congregation (where I had been baptized at 8 years old in 1980). To prepare, I had to be interviewed by her twice and I had a week where I had to fast something of importance to me (I chose music, which meant that I had to go a full week without listening to music, which was difficult then; that would be impossible now with my current job). I had scripture verses to read, meditate, and pray over. It was a week focused on spiritual preparation. On her end, she also did the same preparation. When we met, she gave me my Evangelist blessing and I was surprised by what it said. Obviously, the words of guidance were specific to me and she didn't really know me well enough to say the things she did, so I think that shows the mysteries of God and the spiritual world.

Now, imagine for a minute...how on earth would an atheist who held the office of evangelist be able to perform such an ordinance to a member who asked for one? There is no way an atheist would be able to do it without lying and it would be morally and ethically wrong to go through with it when the member was sincere in asking for the special blessing. To me, it is just unfathomable that an atheist would pretend for the sake of appearances. If they keep their priesthood offices and remain in the closet about their real beliefs, they are doing a huge disservice to church members. And this actually does erode confidence and trust. Not to mention promote cynicism where it doesn't belong (one thing I love about church is the idea that we can leave behind real world concerns and fellowship with one another as true equals and that there is a level of trust that exists which is difficult to find in the outside world).

Last year, during the Vision Project, there was a special worship service where people sang hymns and a few priesthood members were available for special prayers. I went to one I trust completely, Erik the co-leader of YAPS. I was in my unemployment period at the time and as I sat in the chair, those who were singing hymns started singing "Touch Me Lord With Thy Spirit Eternal" (which is in my top three favourite hymns). I saw this as a "sign from God" and as Erik said an amazing prayer on my behalf, I felt tears welling in my eyes. It was a great experience and the prayer was amazing, because a couple weeks later, I landed a job that I was perfect for and that was what I was looking for. Amazing how that happened! Would the special prayer on my behalf by a priesthood member been as effective if it had been an atheist? I doubt it.

At Bend Institute over Labour Day 2010, I had sought out two members of the priesthood to give me a special prayer (which included anointing my head with consecrated oil) regarding my stressful job at that Awful Place That Shall Not Be Named. I trusted the faith of both people who placed their hands on my head and prayed on my behalf. After the prayer, I fell ill and had to have a barf bag on hand in case I threw up on the way back to Portland. By month's end, I was out of my awful job. Was it because of their prayer that helped me get out of the awful work situation that I had tried for four years to leave? Would I have experienced the same outcome had they been atheists?

The debate did inspire a mini-debate on what atheism is, which is also absurd. Some people are far too loose in their interpretation. They wanted to include agnostics, humanists, pantheists, panentheists, pagans and deists in the category of "atheists." I know atheists and they would disagree. In fact, because I had been involved in an atheist group in the early to mid-1990s, I know how they think and why. I even had a few atheist books. I ultimately lost interest in atheism when so many were dismissive of my coincidences that I shared with them. In their view, it was just a coincidence, but in my view, the coincidences were too unlikely to happen because they were the case of the outer experiences reflecting inner thoughts. Synchronicity, according to Carl Jung.

As I tried to explain to my well meaning and open minded church members, atheists are different from agnostics and the other categories because they are hardcore about their belief in a strictly scientific materialist world. Atheists don't believe in God, heaven, coincidences, spiritual experiences, souls, ghosts, psychics, ESP, Near Death Experiences, etc. This is beyond mere doubt. This is in your face unbelief. I know because an atheist had de-friended me on Facebook earlier this year after being tired of reading my spiritual comments. So, knowing what I know about atheists, why should our church allow them to continue to hold the priesthood office? You can bet that no atheist organization (American Atheists, The Freedom From Religion Foundation, etc.) would allow a "religionist" or God believer to hold a leadership position in their organization. It is just cowardice of an atheist to continue to hold the priesthood office when they believe that none of it is true. I'm very ecumenical and tolerant of different beliefs, so I have no problem respecting atheists as equals whose beliefs deserve to be respected (to be free from being proselytized) and even if they want to attend church or be a part of the church community. What I won't agree with is the deception they are engaged in. The president of our church resigned over a personal problem (that has never been publicly disclosed) a few years ago and he turned in his priesthood card. If he could do the honourable thing, an atheist priesthood member should be able to follow his lead.

Ironically, my stance of no atheists in the priesthood put me on the side of the conservative church members. It was weird to side with one, in particular, especially when she brought up her view that allowing atheists in the priesthood would lead to Satan taking over the church. Uh, since I don't believe in Satan, this puts me in the heathen camp according to the conservative church members. I'm sure some of them probably think I'm an "atheist", but that's ridiculous because I believe in a spiritually directed universe and that we all have a soul and that reincarnation is reality. I'm okay with the idea that my New Agey beliefs will probably mean that I will never get called to the priesthood. I never saw myself as priesthood material (there are certain standards that I could not abide by, anyway) but I still respect the role and its importance in the life of the church. When I've had no where else to turn, I have gone to a priesthood member that I respect, whose faith is unquestionable, and asked for guidance. They've never let me down. If atheists in the priesthood is widespread in the church, I would be saddened because it would make trust much harder to establish. I would have to interview each priesthood member before asking them to say a special prayer on my behalf. I don't want to do that. Trust is crucial.

So, if you are a priesthood member in the Community of Christ and you are an atheist (that is, you don't believe in God, a soul, heaven, or that we live in a spiritually-directed universe), please do the honourable thing. Turn in your priesthood card. If you can't do that for whatever reason, then if someone approaches you to ask for a special prayer or blessing or some other sacred ordinance of our church, please decline for their sake. Church members deserve an authentic believer in God to perform the sacred ordinances of your priesthood offices. Its the ethical thing to do. Engaging in deceit just because you like the "prestige" of having a priesthood office does damage our church community and the sacred trust among members. Think about it, please, and be honest about your doubts and lack of faith.

4 comments:

I know of ph who believe in a God that gives you loving support but does not intervene in a person's life..they also don't believe in an after life. You know this person...Marge is not afraid to express her beliefs.

I know Margie and I'm still baffled that she doesn't believe in an afterlife. She had a Near Death Experience and saw her own body and that her soul was attached to a silver cord. You'd think that a person who had an experience like that would never doubt the reality of the spiritual dimension.

It's not so simple as to say your no longer believe in an afterlife or in a god and then hand in your PH card. For those members in the priesthood that have made their life in it and that is their source of income (in terms of the catholic or fundies), their support system, it's hard to just walk away. This is the issue of why they don't just automatically hand in their PH card. They don't know how to reenter into society after living a certain way for so long. They know they are doing a disservice to those who do believe, but it's scary to leave their life behind.

I was never in the priesthood so I really don't know how hard it is for those members that are in this situation. I grew up in the community of christ and the members have seen me through some really tough times so I'm having a hard time walking away from it. I still have yet to call my mission center to take my name off the records since I no longer believe. It's a big deal even for non PH members.

So to say that all you have to do is hand in your PH card is wrong. There are a lot of other things that happen when you do make that final step of 'coming out'.

I know that you have no idea of who I am, but I felt the need to say something on this topic.

I appreciate your comments, Amber. I'm having that debate on the church's Facebook page right now!

In the Community of Christ, the Priesthood is a lay ministry, so they don't have to worry about their financial livelihood if they turn in their card due to loss of belief.

I don't find it ethical for a person to withhold critical information if a church member approached a PH member who no longer believed, yet was expected to perform a sacred ordinance that invoked God through prayer. This is what I find unacceptable. I've known some PH who turned in their PH card after committing adultery. Its the ethical thing to do because the PH isn't about them or isn't a status symbol. Its the authority to act in God's name on behalf of the church. If one doesn't believe in God and continues to behave in this way, it makes a mockery of the process.

Sansego

A word I created from the French word Sans (meaning "without") and the English word ego. Basically, that sums up my spiritual beliefs. To be closer to God, we must transcend our egos and recognize we are all "one in the spirit."

My 7 Favourite Films of 2007

Gorgeous!

My Hot List (of Dream Women)

1. Audrey Tautou

2. Emily Blunt

3. Frances O'Connor

4. Thandie Newton

5. Natalie Portman

6. Shannyn Sossamon

7. Michelle Yeoh

8. Gwen Stefani

9. Zoe Saldana

10. Halle Berry

Nonconformists of the Year

The following photos represent my selection for Nonconformist of the Year, that I started doing in 1992 to honour the person who did an unexpected act, which went against the grain of conventional thinking.

1992

Bill Clinton

1993

Al Gore

1994

Nelson Mandela

1995

Lady Diana Spencer

1996

John F. Kennedy, Jr.

1997

Louis Freeh

1998

Russ Feingold

1999

Jesse Ventura

2000

John McCain

2001

Bill Maher

2002

Dave Eggers

2003

Howard Dean

2004

Joseph Darby

2005

Cindy Sheehan

2006

Al Gore

2007

Buddhist Monks of Burma

2008

Barack Obama

2009

Alicia Silverstone

2010

Julian Assange

2011

Mohamed Bouazizi

Best descriptions of GWB

1. He's a corporation masquerading as a human being -- Ralph Nader

2. He's a blind man in a room full of deaf people -- Paul O'Neill

3. Poor George...born on third and thought he hit a triple -- Ann Richards

4. You could easily imagine him owning the local car dealership down the road -- Barack Obama

5. Bush is the worst president ever...He is the worst president in American history -- Helen Thomas

Favourite Presidents

1. Thomas Jefferson

2. John Fitzgerald Kennedy

3. Abraham Lincoln

4. George Washington

5. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Worst Presidents Ever

1. George W. Bush

2. Richard M. Nixon

3. Lyndon B. Johnson

4. Ronald W. Reagan

5. Warren G. Harding

Cool words I love

Kundalini

Shosoloza

Zenani

Serendipity

Psychokinesis

Recommended CDs by my favourite Irish musicians

1. All That You Can't Leave Behind -- U2

2. A Day Without Rain -- Enya

3. The Bells of Dublin -- The Chieftains

4. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got -- Sinead O'Connor

5. Herding Cats -- Gaelic Storm

My All Time Favourite Music Videos

1. Nothing Compares 2 U -- Sinead O'Connor

2. Coldhearted -- Paula Abdul

3. Smoke -- Natalie Imbruglia

4. Stay -- Lisa Loeb

5. Soak Up The Sun -- Sheryl Crow

All Time Favourite Films

1. The Sound of Music

2. The Star Wars Saga

3. Dead Poet's Society

4. Casualties of War

5. Love and Other Catastrophes

6. E.T.

7. Forrest Gump

8. Jurassic Park

9. Sarafina!

10. Roxanne

All Time Favourite Albums

1. Cruel, Crazy, Beautiful World -- Johnny Clegg and Savuka

2. Earth and Sun and Moon -- Midnight Oil

3. All That You Can't Leave Behind -- U2

4. Le Baiser -- Indochine

5. Wommat (The Guide) -- Youssou N'Dour

6. Born in the USA -- Bruce Springsteen

7. Tracy Chapman -- Tracy Chapman

8. Graceland -- Paul Simon

9. The Rising -- Bruce Springsteen

10. Autoamerican -- Blondie

11. Pilgrim -- Eric Clapton

12. Thriller -- Michael Jackson

13. Crazy Sexy Cool -- TLC

14. True Blue -- Madonna

15. Whitney -- Whitney Houston

All Time Favourite Songs

1. What A Wonderful World -- Louis Armstrong

2. Sailing -- Christopher Cross

3. A Better Man -- Keb' Mo'

4. Woman Be My Country -- Johnny Clegg and Savuka

5. Time After Time -- Cyndi Lauper

6. Woman -- John Lennon

7. Man In the Mirror -- Michael Jackson

8. Hey Jude -- The Beatles

9. Imagine -- John Lennon

10. Stairway to Heaven -- Led Zepplin

My 6 Fave Songs of 2006

1. Do I Make You Proud? -- Taylor Hicks

2. Unwritten -- Natasha Bedingfield

3. Jump -- Madonna

4. Waiting on the World to Change -- John Mayer

5. Bad Day -- Daniel Powter

6. What's Left of Me -- Nick Lachey

My 6 Fave Films of 2006

1. An Inconvenient Truth

2. The Da Vinci Code

3. Blood Diamond

4. V For Vendetta

5. The Devil Wears Prada

6. Casino Royale

Three Worst Films of 2006

1. Borat

2. Basic Instinct 2

3. Children of Men

Favourite Madonna Singles

1. Live to Tell

2. Vogue

3. What it Feels Like For a Girl

4. Jump

5. Who's that Girl

6. Into the Groove

7. Angel

8. This Used to Be My Playground

9. Holiday

10. Die Another Day

Favourite Madonna Albums

1. True Blue (1986)

2. Like a Prayer (1989)

3. Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)

4. American Life (2003)

5. Bedtime Stories (1994)

6. Madonna (1983)

7. Music (2001)

8. Ray of Light (1998)

9. Like A Virgin (1984)

10. Erotica (1992)

Favourite Madonna Music Videos

1. Vogue

2. Material Girl

3. Into the Groove

4. Papa Don't Preach

5. La Isla Bonita

6. Human Nature

7. Take A Bow

8. Nothing Really Matters

9. Rain

10. Beautiful Stranger

Personal Timeline

Dec 1971 -- Born;1977 -- "Star Wars" craze begins!;1978 -- Wendy is my first crush, setting a pattern of me falling for girls I find more intelligent than myself;1980 -- Sharon Dunn becomes my first penpal when I move to Utah;Dec 1980 -- Baptized into RLDS Church;1984 -- Meet Nicholas Smith in 7th grade, who becomes one of my best friends;1985-1988 -- Lived in Germany;1988 -- Acted in two plays, "Our Town" and "You Can't Take It With You.";Summer 1989 -- Wrote "Diabolic Incognito" for a Young Novelist competition;November 1989 -- Inspired with story idea for next novel;June 1990 -- Graduated high school, then enlisted in the Navy;January 1991 -- First solo trip via Greyhound to visit my best friend in Omaha and my grandparents in Kansas;March 1991 -- Went off to Basic Training;September 1991 -- Arrived in Italy for my 3 year assignment;October 1992 -- My first Eurail trip;April 1993 -- An odd coincidence brings me back to God;August 1994 -- My trip to South Africa becomes my most significant spiritual experience;November 1994 -- Meet my other best friend, Nathan Hagman;January 1996 -- Honorable Discharge from the Navy;May 1996 -- Car is totalled in an accident;August 1997 -- Start my college career at BYU;April-May 1999 -- Road trip to Pacific Northwest makes a huge impression on me that this is where I want to settle someday;January-April 2000 -- Internship with Vice President Gore;December 2004 -- Finished writing second novel "Seasons of Silent War" (still haven't found an agent for it);August 2006 -- Move to Portland, Oregon--finally!!;December 2006 -- Finished my long-delayed Bachelor's Degree in International Politics